The Seishi
by Lady Aura
Summary: Is the war against the Yeerks only waged in America? As far as the Animorphs know, it is. But when a couple of Andelite arisths accidentally land in Japan, the war is suddenly a whole lot wider. Rated for mild language and violence in later chapters.
1. Part 1 Ranara

Author's Note: This entire fic is really going to be a prelude, the first book in a series. There will be no – or almost no – mention of the Animorphs as we know them in this fic. But it is the same world, the same Yeerks, the same war, etc. Just in a different part of the world. And the sequel will feature the two groups meeting. Yes. It will.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Animorphs. I do not own the world. Those things belong to K. A. Applegate, who has dedicated them to Michael and Jake. Whoever they are. The idea is not mine, either. The idea of a Japanese Yeerk resistance was given to me by Key2's fic "Battle Senshi". Excellent fic. Go read it. But the rest of it is mine. 

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Book 1- The Seishi

_Ranara _

My name is Ranara-Estheri-Keragar. I am an Andelite. 

And I am a complete idiot.

Just ask my brother, Mikan-Corasona-Shakin. He'll tell you all about it.

But just now, he was a bit busy.

You are amazing, Ranara. How you managed to send us far off course AND jam the controls is beyond me.

My brother's thin fingers flew across the controls of our brand-new Firetail spacecraft, trying to fix my mistakes. One of his stalk eyes was glaring at me. I blanched, looking away.

I am sorry. I tried to do as you told me. But my technological ineptitude seems to have won out again.

An Andelite with no technical skills. Bah. You are an enigma, sister. He pushed one last button.

Computer. Initiate sequence.

The computer's thoughtspeak rang through my head.

Sequence initiated. 

Both of us were suddenly thrown back as the craft shot forward. Just as suddenly, we stopped. I looked out the viewport.

White. Nothing but white.

Mikan? Did you intend to throw us into Z-space?

No.

You did.

What?

He looked. His main eyes grew wide.

How is that possible? 

He brought up the instruction guide on his left viewport, keeping one eye on it. After a moment he groaned.

Oh. I had assumed the controls for home return were the same as the old Windrider.

They are not?

Apparently not. Well, let's get out of Z-space. He pushed a few controls. We fell out of the whiteness and into blackness.

A large, blue and white planet lay ahead of us. I put my hand on my brother's arm.

Mikan? Where are we?

Computer. Location.

The computer spouted some numbers. Mikan consulted his maps.

Planet Earth.

We traded looks – his incredulous, mine nervous. Earth was the site of one of the largest fronts in the war against the Yeerks. No place for a couple of _arisths_ to be.

Computer. Take us home.

Impossible, Commander. Insufficient fuel.

I was beginning to be really afraid, now. If the Yeerks found us . . . well, either they would Dracon us, in which case we would be dead, or they would infest us and we would be worse than dead.

Mikan. Let's get out of the air. They'll see us up here.

And go where? Down to that planet? Ranara, you've heard the reports. Earth is crawling with Yeerks. How will a couple of aliens hide on a planet like that?

Morph Earth creatures. They can't wipe the entire planet clean, at least not yet. As long as they don't know we're here. . . 

You are insane.

Do you have a better idea?

No. I'm going down.

Deftly my brother directed us towards the surface. Unfortunately, we were surrounded by an ocean.

Island. There, to the west.

I see it. Computer, take us down.

We entered the atmosphere, the hull of the ship glowing with heat. Mikan brought us down to the ground with the gentleness he seemed to reserve for spacecraft. We landed with a soft thud.

Computer. Atmospheric readout.

The computer spouted out more numbers. The air was mostly nitrogen, with lots of oxygen. Breathable. Mikan opened the viewports, which had been shut tightly in our descent. 

We were sitting on a floor of green, surrounded by a wall of pink. The sky was a brilliant blue, with white water vapor clouds.

How beautiful. . .

My brother gave me a look.

Don't adopt this planet just yet. Remember, anyone we meet out there could be an enemy.

Like him? I asked. Mikan turned to look.

Standing outside our ship, framed by the viewport, was an Earthling. A young human male, of Eastern descent, if I recall my Intelligent Alien Life coursework correctly. He was scrawny for a human, with shaggy black head-fur and slanted brown eyes. He called out something unintelligible in his native language. I felt the chip that had been implanted in my brain at birth working frantically to translate.

Do not be afraid, I called to him. He stopped, regarding the ship with wide eyes. Slowly, he beckoned with a five-fingered hand.

Ranara, what did I just say?

Oh, come on. He's obviously not a Yeerk, or he'd recognize the ship. Besides, what would they want with a youngling?

How do you know he is young? Maybe they don't get bigger than that.

Honestly. Didn't you pay attention in class?

Who cares about aliens?

You should. We're about to go meet one.

Not waiting for my brother's response, I opened the hatch. 

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So. That's the first chapter.

If you have any questions, ask. 

And review, please!!


	2. Part 2 Taro

Author's note: Okay. Guys, this one is going to work a bit differently from my other fic, St. Andrew's. That one I have already written most of. I know where it's going. I know how to end it. But on this one, I'm winging it. So please bear with me, because the chapters are going to be short. Hopefully often, but definitely short. And send me any ideas you might have. I will take them into consideration.

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Disclaimer: Don't own it. You think I own it? Hah.

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Taro

I've had strange things happen to me before.

But having an alien spaceship land in my backyard definitely tops the list.

I glanced over at my sister Sakura, who was watching from the doorway on the other side of the ship. She looked a bit scared, but more than a little intrigued. Can't say I blame her. I was curious, myself.

Do not be afraid.

I jumped, my eyes flicking around for the source of the voice. Sakura regarded me curiously. Obviously, she hadn't heard it. It must have come from the craft. And they knew I was here.

Slowly, I beckoned to the ship. Whatever was inside, I wanted to meet it face-to-face.

After a moment, a hatch opened in the side of the ship. And she came out.

I could immediately tell that she was female. She had a human torso, set centaur-like on a horse's body. Four legs, each with cloven hooves and a small dew claw on the back. Graceful arms, small hands. An almost human face, minus the mouth and most of the nose. Beautiful, slanting, emerald eyes. 

But those were the normal parts. The weird parts? She was entirely covered with thick blue fur. She had a pair of extra eyes, set on flexible stalks, like a lobster. And she had a tail. A thick, strong, reptilian tail with a small, sharp-looking blade set into the end like a stinger. She held both her head and her tail high.

I felt the need to bow. So I did.

Greetings, human. The voice echoed through my head. She nodded to me.

"Hello." I said. "Can you understand me?"

She smiled at me. A strange feat, considering she had no mouth. Something in those eyes . . . But it was definitely a smile.

I can now. I have a translator implanted in my brain. It takes a moment to sort through an alien language.

I nodded, impressed.

"How can I understand you?"

Thoughtspeak uses the subconscious to transcend language. But I am remiss, human. I am Ranara. Ranara-Estheri-Keragar. You are called?

"Taro. I am pleased to meet you, Ranara." I bit my lip. "Um, pardon me if I am rude, but may I inquire why you are in my backyard?"

I was not aware that this land belonged to you. I beg your forgiveness.

"Well, it belongs to my family. But that's all right, my parents are out of town for the week. It's just me and my sister."

Sister? She obviously saw where I was looking, because one of her stalk eyes swiveled around to fix on Sakura. My sister squeaked and ducked into the house.

It is safe, Taro's sister. I will not harm you. Come, tell me your name.

Sakura poked her head out, watching the alien with wide eyes. She glanced at me, and I beckoned. Slowly, she padded away from the house. But she stopped short about two feet from the porch.

There was another, coming down the ramp. A male. A BIG male.

He was easily a head taller than Ranara. Muscular. Broad hands, heavy hooves. But the tail blade was what caught your attention. It was more than twice as long as Ranara's, thicker, heavier, sharper. And waving agitatedly.

He was not a happy alien.

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AN: Yay! Less than 24 hours and already two reviews! Thank you thank you thank you!!

g21|to: *blush* Thank you. Please keep reading, and you'll be able to see where it goes.

Liaranne: A. Oh. Good point. If you look, you will see that I changed it. ^.^

*Innocent look* Maaaaaaay-beeeeee . . . Actually, I thought of the sequel first. But I have a plot for this one, and I don't have one for the sequel. Yet. *sheepishness* Any ideas? 

Computer ineptness. Yes. I thought it made her character a bit more interesting. She's supposed to be kind of a rebel. (Wonder how Ax would take her . . .)

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Thank you to all my reviewers! (Yes, all two!) Now. The rest of you. *glares* YES, you. **Review!!!!!**


	3. Part 3 Mikan

AN: I love the Animorphs fandom sooo much!! You guys are AWESOME. ^.^

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Disclaimer: Don't sue me. Please. I don't own anything that belongs to someone else. And I'm not making any money. If I was, would I still be writing fanfics? (Don't answer that.)

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Mikan

My sister is the biggest people hugging conservationist ever. We were thousands of light-years from home, and here she was, chatting on with some alien. Worse, she was conversing privately, so I could only hear the human's end, and that only once my translator adjusted. Very irritating. 

But I think my decision to exit the ship and . . . intimidate him a little . . . was justified. After all, it wouldn't do for this impressionable young human to get the idea that the great Andelite race was cuddly and sweet.

Because we're not.

But Ranara wasn't too happy with me.

Mikan! Stop waving your blade about! You're scaring them!

I cast one incredulous stalk eye in her direction, ignoring her.

Human. Get away from here. It is not safe for you to be around this ship.

"Taro." the boy said softly. My translator didn't understand it.

What? I asked Ranara in private thoughtspeak. She stamped an impatient hoof.

It's his _name_, halfbrain. If you'd stop your high-and-mighty Andelite routine for one moment and _talked _to him, you'd know that.

I was about to retort when the human – all right, Taro – interrupted us. 

"And . . . it's _my_ land."

That gave me pause. This alien was old enough to own land of his own? Perhaps he was an adult, after all. Ranara wasn't always right.

Try telling her that.

Humph. she said in my mind. Mocking my embarrassment. See?

I sent her a look. I'm right, though. The Firetail is a civilian craft. No cloaking. How long before the Yeerks come? They'll infest your friend, for sure.

Ah, yes. THAT got her attention. 

Taro. And – oh, what's your sister's name?

Sister? What sister?

"Please, miss. I am Sakura."

The voice came from behind me, softer and higher than Taro's. I swiveled my stalk eyes around.

There was a young human behind me. Female. Smaller, longer head-fur. More attractive. Shy.

Ranara smiled, delighted. I crossed my arms, speaking before she could spout something caring.

Child. Come here. My thoughtspeak was firm, but I was not trying to scare her. She came. Frightened as she was, she still came. Admirable? Maybe. Or stupid.

I was surprised to see that she was not as small as I had thought. She was only two head lengths shorter. About the same comparison to Taro as Ranara is to me.

Was this human anything like my sister?

I felt a surprising surge of pity for Taro.

"Your name, nii-chan?"

My translator did not translate the last word. I let it slide.

I am Mikan. An Andelite. And my sister is Ranara. She did not need our other names.

Taro. Is there any place we could hide our craft, for a time? It must be hidden from land or air.

That was Ranara. She wanted to get the Firetail out of sight. Possibly the first sensible decision she had made all day. Taro thought for a moment.

"Sakura, go open the garage." The female nodded and scampered away, into the house. I was suddenly struck with amazement at the balance a human must have, to move so easily on only two legs and not fall. Obviously, Ranara noted this as well.

Your sister is very graceful.

Taro's face flushed. Strange, that. "She is a dancer. And she takes karate."

Karate?

"It's a fighting style. Weaponless. I study, as well."

My curiosity got the best of me. I had to ask.

Weaponless? But surly your kind has no _natural_ weapons. The boy smiled, a strange emotion that was translated into his mouthparts as well as his eyes.

"A true master can kill a man twice his size with a few blows. Our bodies are not as weak as they appear, as long as we know how to use them."

My reply was interrupted by a grinding noise. Both Ranara and I spun, our tails raised. A large, primitive mechanical doorway was opening in the enclosure attached to what I had assumed was the alien's dwelling.

"Can you fly the ship in there?" Taro asked. It took a moment before I realized that there was nothing inside the enclosure but a single enclosed-gas light in the ceiling. I squinted at it, estimating.

Yes. I can.

Mikan, it will be a very tight fit.

I glared at my sister. One would think that, after all this time, she would have more faith in my piloting skills.

I can make it.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Look at my lovely reviewers!! 

*squints*

Well, reviewER. But she reviewed twice!!

Chessrook44: First, I will ask you if I need help. But I think I've picked up enough Japanese in my six years of anime-watching to serve.

Second, NO, I did NOT name her for Cardcaptor Sakura. Sakura is one of the most popular Japanese names, sort of like Sarah is here. It means "cherry blossom". I picked it because Sakura is supposed to be the quintessential Japanese schoolgirl. Stereotypical.

;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;

Now, it's YOUR turn. Review!! 


	4. Part 4 Sakura

AN: Looking back, I realize that the last chapter was pretty pointless. Just character development, y'know. As a matter of fact, the next few chapters will be slow. But there's action coming, I swear. Just stay with me. 

Four chapters in as many days? How many other fics can do _that_?

Disclaimer: If you think I own anything, you are f*#@&ed in the head. Seriously. I own nothing. Nothing but myself. And anything that came out of my own head. That's it.

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Sakura

As the alien flew his ship into our garage, I sent a look to Taro. It was one of those brother-sister-private-communication looks. It clearly said, "So what now, baka?" He shrugged, looking helpless. Great. 

My brother and I were two of the quietest, shyest kids in the whole of Japan. And WE get the aliens? Good grief. 

'Course, you should see us when we're alone. We're not shy with each OTHER, oh no. Living with someone your whole life will do that.

See, Taro and I are only a year apart. He's in the ninth year, I'm in the eighth. We have the same close-knit circles of friends. So we've hardly ever been apart.

As a matter of fact, I don't think I've ever gone a week without seeing him. Crazy, that.

Sakura?

I smiled, turned. "Ranara."

I apologize for my brother's behavior. He had no right to demand that you leave.

I studied her. I could see a lot of myself in her. Quiet. Extremely close to her brother.

"It's all right. But why do you have to get the ship out of the yard? No one could see it from the street."

Ranara's countenance darkened. My brother and I have . . . enemies. It would be horrible if you got involved in the wars of the Andelite race.

I decided not to press the issue.

"Sakura!" The voice was Taro's, an urgent hiss. "It's Keichii and Hiro! Quick, get her away!"

Hoo, boy. The Dynamic Duo. Keichii and Hiro have made our lives miserable for as long as I can remember. Hiro lives next door.

"Ranara-san? Please, tell Mikan to stay inside the ship. And get out of sight."

Why? I am not afraid of any human.

Oh, I so did NOT have time for this.

"It would not do for them to see you. Onegai. These two are not exactly friends." I shooed her into the garage. "I'll get them out of here and then I'll come back." I saw her hesitate. "Hiaku!! Onegai??" 

She smiled with her eyes. "We will be silent, Sakura." She bounded away into the ship. I breathed a sigh of relief and closed the garage door. Not a moment too soon, because here they came.

"Sweet little Sakura. What's going on, babe?"

That was Keichii. He was tall, skinny, and very pale. He also had spiked, purply-black hair and red contacts. Creepy-looking. He was leaning against the door frame with the even taller, muscular, brooding Hiro behind him.

"Buzz off, Keichii. You're on my property."

"Oh, no, sweetie. See, a few minutes ago, Hiro and I looked out my window. And you'll never guess what we saw."

My blood ran cold. Had they seen . . .

"What?"

"An awfully bright light. A spaceship, landing in your yard. And, oh yeah, a couple of big blue aliens."

They HAD seen. But did they believe?

I forced a laugh, looking away.

"You're insane. There were no aliens in my yard. There have never been aliens in my yard."

"Don't lie, Sakura. We SAW them."

I looked up, startled. Hiro. Hiro had just spoken to me. I may faint. I don't think I've ever heard him string two words together. He usually just . . . grunts.

Taro chose that minute to show up.

"Get out of here, you two. Leave my sister alone." Aww, Nii-chan, you're so cute. I didn't know you cared.

Keichii's face lit up. He always seems to like torturing my brother more than me.

"Oh, don't worry, Taro-chan." he said mockingly. "We will. But not until we meet the aliens you're hiding in your garage."

My brother gave an audible gasp. He glared at me, accusing.

"Hey! I didn't say ANYTHING."

"Taro, we saw everything. Don't worry, we won't try to hurt them." Hiro again. Now I WILL faint. I think that has to be more words than he's ever spoken in his life. I didn't even think he knew my brother's name. Taro was obviously thinking the same thing - he looked dumbstruck.

Slowly, Taro shook his head. "I don't think you COULD harm them. But . . . well, you might as well."

I gaped. Was he crazy?

"Are you crazy?"

"Sakura, we can't stop them. You know that. There's no point."

I couldn't stop staring. Who was he kidding? We could . . . we could . . .

Well. Maybe he had a point. I nodded, and pressed the button. The garage door raised, revealing Ranara standing in the doorway.

Maybe it was my imagination. But I thought I heard Hiro mutter something. One word.

It sounded an awful lot like "Andelite."

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Cliffhanger!! Woo-hoo!

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Japanese terms 

(And if anyone out there actually _speaks_ Japanese, don't hesitate to correct my mistakes.)

Nii-chan: Short for Oniichan. Big brother. Can be both a respectful and a derogatory term.

Baka: Literally, stupid idiot. A bigger insult in Japan than here. (Y'know, 'cause they're all about the book learning.)

-san: An honorific. Like calling someone "sir", or "my lady".

Onegai: Please.

Hiaku: Hurry.

-chan: A diminutive. Like adding "y" or "ie" to the end of someone's name. Ex: "Sammie" for Sam, "Billy" for Bill.

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Thank you to my reviewers. But first off, I want to apologize to Chessrook. 

I went back and read the note I left you in the last post. It sounded mean. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way . . . will you ever forgive me? You're my best reviewer. *hugs*

E-chan: o.O?! . . . No. Way. You read Animorphs, too?!! Jesus H. Christ!! We've known each other for _how_ long? And we never mentioned it to each other?? Lordy.

Chessrook: Um, I would, except . . . I don't know the first thing about CardCaptor Sakura. I don't watch it. Sorry, hun. (And you know what they say about assumptions . . .)

Now. The rest of you. Review!! ^.^


	5. Part 5 Marco

AN: Well, I took a good look at the story, as I've written it so far. And I have one word. _Yuck_. Seriously, what was I on? So, from here on out, I'm taking this an entirely different direction from what I had originally intended. Sorry if it's a little confusing, but it will all be cleared up. I promise.

Disclaimer: I am getting sick of these. All right. I own nothing. It's not mine. Don't sue me.

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Marco

You know, it would be really nice if I could have a normal life. Hell, I'd settle for a normal _week_. But no, that can't happen. Not possible. The universe would explode if Marco had a normal week.

I hate my life.

I suppose I should back up, huh?

My name is Marco. I can't tell you more than that. Or _they _willget me.

Yeah, THAT sounded sane. Unfortunately, I am not insane. Though sometimes I think I am. 

I have a deadly enemy. Actually, all of the human race has a deadly enemy. But the only people who know are dead or enslaved. Except me, and my friends. And now you. 

Are you nervous yet? You should be.

They're called the Yeerks. They're parasites. Little gray sluglike thingies. They can crawl into your brain and take you over, controlling your actions, your speech, your life. You loose everything. Your family, your friends. Normalcy. Individuality. Privacy. Freedom. 

It sucks.

And now you know why I'm paranoid.

Because I am one of the six beings on this planet that they would most like to get their hands . . . well, figuratively, anyway . . . on. I am part of a rag-tag little group who have one weapon against the Yeerks. We can morph, becoming any animal we wish. Well, almost. And we use that power to fight. That's it. That's the entire army against the Yeerks.

Now are you nervous?

That's how I live my life. And on top of that, I have to keep up a normal façade. Or the Yeerks will find me. And that would be the end of Planet Earth.

All this can be a bit stressful at times. So can you blame me for trying to spend a normal day at home? It was summer vacation. Dad was at work, and Nora was spending the day at a friend's, taking her demonic poodle with her. I had the house to myself. Nothing but video games, TV, loud music and junk food, all day. That was the plan.

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a normal day in the life of Marco.

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Briiiing! Briiiing! Briiiing!

"Alright, I'm coming." I picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Marco? It's Erik."

Okay, I lied. We are not the _only_ Yeerk resistance. We have help. Informants. Including the Chee. The Chee are a race of androids. Thousands of years old, incredibly strong, and smarter than any human could hope to be. Also programmed to be non-violent, so they do not fight. Instead, they bring us information, like Erik was doing now.

Usually the information Erik brings results in me running for my life. Understandably, I was not happy to hear from him.

"Oh. What's up?"

"I just got the brand-new _Final Fantasy_ game. You want to come over and play it?"

I wished fervently that he really did want to play video games. Because playing the new Final Fantasy game sounded really good right now.

"Hell, yes. I'll be over in a bit."

"Cool. And . . . you should invite Jake and the gang, too. We'll make a party out of it."

Well, there goes that. By 'Jake and the gang', he meant the rest of the Animorphs. So this was a business meeting, after all.

"Sure. I'll call him now. See ya in a bit." I hung up.

* * * * *

A few minutes later I was flying over the woods nearby, no longer human. I was in osprey morph. And man, was it a gorgeous day.

Hello, you big, clumsy, utterly out-of-place bird you.

Flying off to my side was Tobias. Tobias was once human. But he spent more than two hours in morph and was now trapped in the body of a red-tailed hawk. That's his natural form, now.

I still tease him about eating rodents. What happened to him frightens me.

Due to a strange twist of fate by an otherworldly being known as Ellimist, Tobias got his powers back and was able to re-acquire his own DNA, so he can become himself for two hours at a time. Well, it's better than living forever without being able to play video games. Not to mention being able to sit.

Hello to you, too. 'Bout time I found you.

You find ME? Marco, I knew you were here before you did. I just wanted to see how long it would take you to realize it.

What makes you think I'm not just out to enjoy the summer thermals? I asked, a bit needled. He didn't answer. He didn't have to.

Who called the meeting?

Erik, actually. Wants us all over his house ASAP. Jake's calling Cassie and Rachel as we speak. Where's Ax?

At his scoop. You go on ahead, we'll meet you there in a few minutes.

Right. See you later.

We peeled off in two separate groups. See, the less of us were in the air at once, the better. Birds of prey aren't exactly social critters. And any bird-watcher would notice a red-tailed hawk and a couple of osprey flying in formation. One of those bird-watchers might be a Controller with a Yeerk in his head.

Pleasant thought, huh?

A few minutes later I flew in a conveniently open window on the ground floor of Erik's house. His 'dad', also a Chee, nodded to me.

Coast is clear? I asked. He nodded.

"Jake, Cassie and Rachel are already in the basement. The other two are on their way, I take it?" 

I nodded. A strange thing for a bird, let me tell you. I demorphed and headed down to the basement. Barely thirty seconds later Tobias and Ax joined me.

"How did you two get here so fast?"

Tobias was still in his hawk body, but I swear he looked smug. Ax answered.

Tobias found a shortcut. Over the large road you humans call a 'highway'. There were very strong thermals there.

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. Ax's normal body was not human, either. He's an Andelite. An alien. But they've already been described to you, so I won't repeat it.

There was a sudden jolt. The entire basement shuddered and began to drop, like one huge elevator. When it came to rest, one wall disappeared, leaving an entrance open to a huge park-like underground structure, with the dog-like Chee and other happy little canines romping about.

One Chee detached himself and came towards us. A hologram shimmered up around him, and he turned into a plain-looking, dark-haired boy about my age. Erik.

Sometimes I was happy to see him. Now was not one of those times.

Jake, ever the fearless leader, spoke first. "All right, Erik. What's this all about?"

Instead of responding, Erik extended his hologram all around us. Suddenly we were standing at the top of a tall building, at least four stories up.

"This is footage taken by Yeerk surveillance in Japan." Erik said. He pointed with one paw-like metal hand to a spot to my right. We all turned to look.

On the ground, a few blocks away, was a squat, one-story Japanese-style home There was something moving in the yard behind it.

It looked like a space ship. 

I squinted, taking a closer look. Yes. Definitely a space ship. Not one I had ever seen, though. I didn't recognize it.

An Andelite ship!? Ax, of course. Well, that answered my question. We all looked at him. He looked shocked. But it is not a fighter. It is a civilian craft, with no weapons. What is it doing on Earth?

"That's what the Yeerks would like to know. They are sending an investigation party overseas tonight." Erik said, closing his hologram back around him. 

"We can't let them find it." That was Cassie. Sweet, caring, tree-hugging Cassie. Of course, she would want to save any Andelites aboard from capture or infestation. But the rest of us were all sharing a different thought.

It was possible that the pilot of that ship was stranded. No way to get back. And would welcome a way to hide. And maybe to fight.

More members of our little group were always welcome.

"So how are we going to get to Japan? It's kind of a long way away." Rachel asked.

Erik smiled. "Myself and two more of our people were assigned to the investigation. Because we speak Japanese."

I think we all just kind of stared. Suddenly Jake smiled. "I think I have a plan."

Why, oh, why, did I have the feeling that I was NOT going to like this?

Yay to my reviewers! Well, reviewer.

Chessrook: Umm, well . . . *looks sheepish* I don't really work well with others. And I'm so busy I barely have time to write my own fics. Senior year, you know. College applications and such. Sorry . . . ^.^;

Come on, guys. I want more reviews! If you're reading this, review!!


	6. Part 6 Jake

AN: Sorry it took so long, guys, but I have a feeling post are going to be sporadic until Christmas break. See, it's concert season, AND college app crunch time, and, well, I just don't have time. ^.^; This chapter is stupidly short, but I thought it was necessary to avoid confusion down the road. And I was trying desperately to climb out of the pit that is writer's block. So, I'm sorry, and there will be another, longer, more exciting one coming up. 

Disclaimer: The usual. If it belongs to someone else, it's not mine. (Obviously.) And I'm not trying to use it as such. Don't sue me, because I'll lose my entire life's savings. All $4.50 of it. Yeah.

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**__**

Jake

This was one of those harebrained ideas you would usually hear from Rachel. And yet, I was the one who had suggested it. Life is funny sometimes.

At first it seemed like a good idea, right? We would morph something small and ride into the ship under the hologram of one of the Chee. There we would wait until we were far from land, demorph, remorph battle morphs and take over the ship. Then we would fly it into Japan, search for the new Andelites, get them small morphs and sneak them back. Erik and co. would then tell the Visser a harrowing tale of how he and his friends were the only ones to escape the furious battle which killed the rest of the crew and the strange Andelites. A good plan.

Several things wrong with that.

One. We would have to demorph and remorph right under the Controller's noses. We were going in a Bug ship, and there was no space to hide.

Two. During the battle, someone was going to have to keep the ship from falling into the Pacific Ocean.

Three. If any of the Controllers aboard saw us and transmitted the report to the Visser, well, we were doomed.

Four. We didn't know how long it would take.

And five. If Erik's story didn't fly with the Visser, for whatever reason, the entire Chee colony could be exposed.

Marco took great joy in pointing these five things out to me. All at once. Damn, that boy thinks fast.

But to my surprise, Erik had an answer to all of them.

"As long as none of the Controllers looks too close, you can hide under my hologram. And you don't all need to fight. There will only be two Hork-Bajir and one Taxxon on board. You need only send enough to take those three out."

I looked around at the team. Who would be the best suited . . .Ah. Of course.

"Cassie, Rachel, and Tobias. And me, of course."

Immediately there was an uproar.

Prince Jake! I wish to fight!

"Singling me out, ol' buddy. I see how it is."

"Shut up, you two." Rachel said. "It's because you're the techies. Duh."

Hmm. It surprised me that Rachel had been the one to figure me out. Of course, she was right.

Techies?

"It means we're the best with computers, Ax-man."

Ah. From the word 'technical', I assume? Interesting. But I still would prefer to fight.

"I know, Ax. But I need you to keep the ship under control while we take it over. Or we're all dead. Marco because he's got a morph with fingers, and he's most likely to understand you."

Ax was quiet. But I knew he would stick to his job. I was his prince, after all.

As much as I hate being called that, Ax's loyalty often came in handy.

"Well. You are decided, then?" Erik asked. "Because we leave in two hours."

"Almost. We don't know how long we're going to be gone. Can your people cover for Cassie, Rachel, Marco and I?"

"Yeah, and don't clean my room this time." Marco added. Erik nodded, ignoring him.

"We have already arranged it. We were simply waiting for your decision."

Marco and I exchanged glances. So the Chee had expected us to want to go with them.

"All right, then. Anything I missed?"

No one answered. "I guess not. So relax for a little, guys. Go home, wrap things up, grab some clothes, whatever. Talk to the Chee who'll be impersonating you. But be back here in . . . an hour and forty-five minutes."

^^^^^^^

As always, thank you to my reviewers! And look, I have so MANY!!

Chessrook: It's not so much that it WAS bad, but that it was on its WAY to being bad. Hopefully I steered it in the right direction.

John Chris: Thanks! And no, this is a single book. The non-Animorphs characters are of my own creation.

JulyFlame: Yessir!!….ma'am. Whatever.

Baranth: Yes, that was the idea. Actually, I got the idea for Rana and Mik from a picture I found on Elfwood. If I can find it again, I might post the address.

Celestial Star1: Thank you! I'm not surprised you like Sakura. See, she was originally supposed to be this sweet, shy, proper little Japanese schoolgirl. But she didn't want to be. Oh, no, Sakura poked me with a big, pointy stick until I was convinced to let her true feistiness show through. Lesson learned? Don't give your characters big pointy sticks.

LOOK!!!!! FIVE reviewers!! FIVE!!!! *happyhappydance*

Know what this means, right?

REVIEW!!


	7. Part 7 Ax

AN: So here it is. Part Seven. I was suffering from serious writer's block, so if this sucks, I'm sorry.

Last chapter, I commented that my inspiration from this fic was a picture I found on Elfwood. Well, I was wrong. It's on Side 7, a lesser-known gallery. But here is the addy: http:// www.side7.com/ cgi-bin/ S7SDB/ Display.pl? act=image&iid= 118648 . Just take out the spaces – FF.net messes up links, apparently. This picture was actually a pair of Andelite lovers, but I thought they looked like brother and sister. Beautiful, isn't it?

[o][x][o][x][o][x][o] -- I have so much fun with these…

Disclaimer: AllcharactersideasandsettingstakendirectlyfromtheAnimorphsbooksbyKAApplegatearepropertyofKAApplegate includingJakeMarcoTobiasAxRachelCassieErikAndelitesYeerksandtherestoftheplot.TheyarenotminenordoIwishto claimthem.HoweverallcharactersthatareminearepropertyofmeandmealoneincludingMikanRanaSakuraHiroKeichii TaroandanyothercharactersideasorsettingsnotownedbyKAApplegate.

*deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep breath*

I think that covers it. ^.^;;

**__**

Ax

We were morphed as flies, sitting on Erik's steel shoulder, under his hologram. There had been some argument, at first, as to which morph to use. Marco wanted to use fleas, because they are practically undetectable. Rachel wanted to use something bigger. But Erik reminded them that whatever they morphed would be hidden anyway, so Prince Jake decided on flies.

I am glad. Being a flea is a disturbing experience.

However, sitting inside the hologram, we could not see very well. Our faceted eyes picked up interference in the air from the hologram, and the images were blurry. But we could hear.

"Eris five-three-three reporting, Visser."

You are late, Eris.

"There was a problem with human traffic, sir."

I see. Don't let it happen again. Hurry up and board ship.

"Yes, sir."

There was no more speech for several minutes. A change in lighting signaled the entrance onto the Bug fighter. Then minor conversations started. Four human voices. That wasn't good. There were only supposed to be three – Erik and two other Chee. There was also an occasional Hork-Bajir comment, but their voices all sound very similar and there was no way to guess how many Hork-Bajir were on board. And the Taxxon, if he was there, did not speak.

Does anyone else notice the guy with the accent? Marco asked.

Yeah. It seems they've found another Controller with a Japanese-speaking host. Prince Jake replied tersely.

Just another ass to kick. That, of course, was Rachel. She was always referring to kicking something.

Rumbling noises and vibrations signaled that the ship was lifting off. There was relative silence for a while.

So who wants to play the Name Game? Marco asked. Ignoring him, Prince Jake asked me how long we had been in morph.

Fifty-four of your minutes. I replied. Immediately Marco began the usual comments.

Ax. Ma man. You have lived on Earth for more than a year. They are your minutes, too. Get USED to it, already!!

One year here. All my life on my home planet. And we have different minutes. I retorted.

Shut up. Tobias hissed. Something's happening.

"Firth, my host needs to urinate."

A pause. Then, a sigh.

"Make it quick, Eris. We need you for Kuross' feeding."

"I'll be back in a few moments."

Motion, a change in lighting. We heard a door click shut.

"Alright, guys. All ashore that's goin' ashore."

Make for the wall, guys.

As we took off and flew out from under Erik's hologram, he began telling us the situation.

"This afternoon they captured a Japanese businessman who was at a corporate meeting in America. They infested him rather quickly with a random Yeerk they had hastily brought out of the Pool in a fishbowl, because the only time they could get him was when he went to the bathroom. This Yeerk had just started feeding, he's still hungry. As soon as he was in the host body he complained. The officer who was responsible for cutting his feeding schedule short arranged for a very small Kandrona to be brought aboard. In a few minutes one of the Hork-Bajir and myself will assist him in restraining his host while he feeds aboard ship."

They just randomly grab some Japanese person? And go through all that trouble to infest him? Why? Cassie asked.

"Because he lives in the area of Japan that the ship was sighted. He works in the building the tapes were taken from."

Prince Jake whistled mentally. Of course. He knows the area, knows the people. He would be able to get into places three American tourists couldn't.

Cassie cut in. Hey, we could free him. He could help us.

Free him, yes. Marco replied. So he and his family could be hunted down and re-infested. They know all about him, Cassie. They'd find him.

So we take him in. He becomes an Animorph, or at least an informant.

Cassie— 

"In any case, I need to go. Follow the red light path to the control room, blue light path to the Pool room. The feeding is scheduled to begin in eight minutes."

Alright. Thanks, Erik.

"Hey, it's the least I can do. Good luck."

He left. Immediately, Prince Jake began to give orders.

Rachel, Marco, Ax and Cassie, to the control room. Get in fast. Ax, cut your way to the controls and hold them steady. Cassie and Rachel clear out the room, and Marco helps whomever needs it more. Tobias, you're with me in the Pool room.

Don't you just love it when he goes all General Patton on us? Marco asked, in the tone humans refer to as 'dry'. The comparison, from what I've read of General Patton, is strikingly accurate. Patton was famous for putting himself at the head of the offensive, in the middle of the worst danger.

Quiet, Marco. Ax, how much time left until this feeding takes place?

Four and a half minutes.

Okay, move out. You four, make sure that the feeding party goes past you before you morph.

Rodj that, Boss. Marco quipped. We took off.

Oooh, pretty lights. Marco said. Indeed, there were several different bands of light above our heads.

Um, guys? Flies don't see in normal color. How do we find the red one? Cassie asked.

It will be the one with the least ultraviolet tone. I replied. The one on the far right.

We zoomed off, following the light path. As we turned the corner, three large shapes passed under us – two humans and a Hork-Bajir.

There they go. We're clear. Rachel said. And there's the door. Ax, you had better go first.

I only had to demorph. The others had to demorph and remorph stronger morphs. I landed and demorphed quickly, facing the door as soon as I had a face. The others followed as soon as I was ready.

Soon there was a gorilla, a wolf, and a grizzly bear standing in the hall next to me.

Are we prepared? I asked.

Yeah. Rachel said. Let's do it.

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Reviews!! Yay!!

JulyFlame: Yes. You like it. This we have established. Any constructive criticisms?

A.S. Amalon: Well, you saw it. What do you think?

Cyblade Silver: Me too! That's why I'm writing this. And yes. But I didn't really mean to name Hiro after Hiro – like Sakura, his character developed all on its own. I just like the name. Really. .

Keep reviewing!


	8. Part 8 Rachel

Disclaimer: Guess what?! KA Applegate just sold me the Animorphs copyright! I OWN them!! I own them ALL!!

Oh, wait – NO. Sorry. Just my little delusion, there.

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**__**

Rachel

Erik's report had been accurate. There was one Hork-Bajir, one Taxxon and a Chee "Controller". Sending the four of us in all at once wasn't just overkill, it was slaughter. Ax knocked the Taxxon away from the controls with a wet _splap_ of his tailblade. Cassie ripped it apart. I got the Hork-Bajir once Marco had wrenched the Dracon beam from his hand. Ax was already at the controls. My little beady eyes looked at Cassie, who was dragging the bodies out of the way.

That was too easy.

Don't say that. Cassie replied. You'll jinx us.

She's right, Marco said. Makes me nervous. Rach, why don't you go see if Jake and Tobias need any help?

I nodded my bear head an turned to the door.

Whups. Guess not.

Erik and his Chee friend Matt were standing in the door way. Between them was an older, tired-looking, beat up Japanese man. Blood was pouring from his temple. And he was rubbing his ear.

He is freed? Ax asked, one stalk eye appraising the man. Erik nodded.

A Hork-Bajir came through the doorway behind them.

Tobias, I really hope that's you. Cassie said.

Yeah, it's me. Flying in an enclosed space is really difficult, so I think I'll stay like this for a bit.

Jake came after him, demorphed already. He ran his hand through his hair. 

"All right. Ax, you know where we're going?"

Ax nodded, a habit he'd picked up from us. The location is clearly marked on the map. I could have gotten us there when I was a child.

The Japanese man turned, startled, and looked at Jake, apparently noticing him for the first time. He spouted something in rapid Japanese.

"He wants to know if you're one of them." Erik translated. Jake smiled, shook his head.

"I'm Jake." He stuck his hand out, trying to put the poor man at ease. The man cocked his head.

"Jaiku?" Jake nodded. The man clasped his hand awkwardly, obviously not used to the whole shaking-hands thing. "Toshida desu." He said with a slight bow.

"His name is Toshida." Erik said. Jake nodded again.

"Demorph, guys. Well, Tobias can stay in morph, if he wants." 

Toshida stared in total amazement as our menagerie of animals slowly became human. He turned to Erik and asked him a question as Matt pulled up a chair for him. Erik replied in Japanese.

He is asking if you are animal spirits. Ax said. We all turned and stared.

"How do you know?" I asked, confused. Ax smiled his Andalite smile.

All Andalites have a universal translator implanted in their heads at birth. It just takes time to translate a new language.

Cassie's eyes lit up. "Cool! So you can understand _any_ language?"

As long as I have a sufficient sampling. How do you think I learned English?

We all kind of looked at each other. No one had ever bothered to ask.

* * *

Nearly an hour later, we had all been introduced and had briefed Toshida on what was going on. We had also learned that he spoke a little English. Not much, though. He kept throwing Japanese words in at the weirdest places.

Meanwhile, Ax was going through the ship's log with his spare eyes, trying to pick up as much information as he could. After all, you never knew when a bit of obscure information might come in handy.

Cassie, Marco and Jake were off in the corner, holding a heated argument that ran along the lines of "what are we going to do with him?" Personally, I was more worried about the task at hand. 

There was something wrong. I didn't know what. Maybe it was because the first part of the plan had run so smoothly. I couldn't remember any other mission that had worked this well for so long. The ones that came close were usually the ones that resulted in a horrible, screaming, bloody massacre.

Or maybe I was being paranoid. Strange, for me; usually that was Marco's job.

I went over to Tobias, who was standing by the window.

Look. That's the Land of the Rising Sun. Beautiful, isn't it?

I looked. Straight ahead was a long stretch of coastline, illuminated by the sun. It _was_ beautiful.

Times like this make me wish Tobias was human again. Totally human, I mean. Two hours is just not enough time. Not when any day could be your last.

Prince Jake. I believe we may have a situation.

Ax immediately had the full attention of the entire room.

"What is it, Ax?"

I just ran a surface diagnostic. It would appear that the Visser has implanted a tracking device on the ship's hull without the crew's knowledge.

It took us a second to digest that.

"Are we being followed?"

Ax brought up a new screen, clicking away with his many nimble Andalite fingers.

There is no reading, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. They would be tracking us from orbit, from the Blade ship.

Marco looked over at Erik and the other Chee warily.

"Is this routine?"

Erik shook his head. "No. Any Yeerk ship can be tracked by the Blade Ship, but it is possible to turn the mechanism off. We would only have been bugged if the Visser had reason to suspect that the system might be disabled."

Cassie nodded grimly. "This ship was a prime target if the 'Andelite bandits' found out about it. He was expecting us."

"So how do we fool him?" I asked.

Don't deviate from the flight path. Pretend that everything is normal. They can only track our route, right? Tobias said. Jake nodded, turning to Ax.

"Ax. When we took over the ship, how far did the ship veer off course before you took control?"

Less than two miles.

"Would the Visser notice that?"

Maybe. It's unlikely.

"Well." Cassie said. "We can only hope."

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More reviewers! I love you guys! *sniff*

JulyFlame: Why, thank you! *bows*

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S. Silverstem: Thank you. What do you like about it?

Mistress of Dragons: . oy, that's a long review. But thank you. Keep reading...

Anthropomorphizer: What a name! ^.^ Hope you enjoyed it!

Gilluin: Actually, it was your reviews that convinced me to get off my lazy ass and write. So, thank you. And, well, it's Keichii, and is he a Controller? Maybe. You'll soon find out. I think I'm going back to Japan next chapter.

AN: I want you guys to know that for the entire three months that I didn't update, I checked my reviews every single day. And I was excited every time I got a new one. So thank you all.

This should be incentive... Even if you have reviewed in the past, please review again! I love reviews!


	9. Part 9 Ranara

Disclaimer: I am not KA Applegate. I'm not pretending to be KA Applegate. I am simply borrowing *ahemstealingahem* her characters and ideas. That is all.

?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

**__**

Ranara

The large, inefficient metal portal grated open. As it raised, I looked confusedly out at Sakura.

Hadn't she just told me to hide? What was going on?

There were two human males standing in the entrance. The larger of the two widened his eyes in a human expression I did not understand. He muttered one word, low, but not too low to be heard.

Andalite.

My hearts froze. He was a Controller. He had to be. How else would he have known?

One split-second later, my tailblade was at his throat.

Yeerk. I spat. Hearing me, my brother immediately opened the hatch and came out at a run.

"Ranara?" Sakura asked. "What are you doing?"

What's going on, Rana? Mikan asked. I turned one stalk eye to him.

He's a Controller. I said in private thought-speak. He knew what we were called as soon as he saw me.

Did one of the humans tell him?

Oh. Right.

Sakura. Did either of you mention the word Andalite since they arrived?

"No." Sakura whispered.

Do you see, brother?

In response, Mikan leveled a hand-held Shredder at the other human.

Don't move, human. he said out loud. 

"What are you doing?" Taro asked, obviously distressed.

"I can explain." 

It was the human who had the wrong end of my tail at his throat. I narrowed all four of my eyes.

I doubt that, Yeerk.

"Ranara," Taro said, placing a hand on my arm, "let him speak."

Slowly, I let my blade drop. But only a little.

Speak, then. And quickly.

The human folded his legs under him in a peculiar fashion, sinking to the ground. Startled, I yanked my blade away. He smiled in that strange human fashion, with his mouth.

"It's called sitting, Rana-san. Humans do it when they become fatigued."

Was he laughing at me?

Taro, Sakura and the other human mimicked his movements, also sinking to the ground. If not for the cramped position of their legs, I could almost see how the position might be restful.

Mikan dropped his shredder arm to his side and shifted his weight off his back right hoof. Obviously, he was prepared for a long tale. I sighed and copied him.

Well?

The human took a deep breath.

"My name is Hiro. I was born here in Japan, but two years ago my father got a job in America. My entire family moved there. As a foreign student in a new community, I was soon asked to join a social group called the Sharing. They thought that they could provide me with new friends and new opportunities. It sounded all right, so I joined."

"I soon found out that the Sharing had two levels. The outer group were people like me, who had just joined. The inner were an elite group of "full" members with special privileges. They all seemed so happy. They never argued, never worried. Needless to say, I wanted to become a full member."

"I asked if I could become a full member. And I was accepted. But first, I had to complete one task. In order to do this, I had to meet a full member at a local bookstore one night. I did. It was the worst mistake of my life."

It was a trap. I guessed, realizing what he was getting at. Hiro nodded.

"Yes. I was led through a secret door in the janitor's closet, down, a long flight of stairs, and straight into Hell."

A pool? Mikan asked. Again, Hiro nodded.

"A Yeerk pool. I won't go into details. Let it only be said that I was infested."

"Hello?"

I looked up. The other human was waving his hand in the air, as if trying to get Hiro's attention.

"Could you please clarify? For those of us who are lost?"

Mikan was the one who answered.

Yeerks are the Andalites greatest enemy. They are parasites. Your friend would have had his head pushed below the surface of the pool and his brain infested and taken over by the Yeerk, through the ear canal. He would have lost all control of his actions.

Taro and Sakura looked horrified. (At least, I think that's what that was.) The other human was apparently skeptical.

"They eat your brain? Or they possess you?"

"Neither." Hiro said, annoyed. "They control you. They shove their little slimy bodies into your ear and up to your brain. They stretch themselves out and attach themselves to your neurons. Then they completely control you. Every breath, every word, every motion. They can open your memories and play them back like a super hi-res DVD. They pass as you, and no one knows the difference."

Silence, at that. I have to admit, I was a little stunned. I had never heard anyone speaking about a Yeerk so matter-of-factly.

And I no longer believed that this human was being Controlled.

"That was how I spent the next eight months of my life. I was a prisoner in my own mind. But I won't go into that now."

"It wasn't long before the Yeerk in my head had managed to get my parents and my sister infested as well. After that, there was no longer any semblance of a family, except on the rare occasions my Yeerk – his name was Jass – and one of my family's Yeerks fed at the same time. Then, if we were lucky, we could spend a few minutes together in the holding cages."

"During one of these times, my father and mother were together in a holding cell. Jass had just brought me down to feed, and we were waiting in line. We heard a sudden Dracon blast, saw a bright flash, and confusion ensued."

"I soon learned that my father had stolen a Dracon beam from a careless guard, shot my mother, and then shot himself. They had both chosen to die rather than live as slaves. My father's action will remain with me forever. He won."

What could I say to that? I noticed Mikan looking at me. He was speechless, as well.

Until now, the war had been a real, but distant, threat. Right then, it hit me.

We were here. We were in the middle of enemy territory, with no help for hundreds of light years.

I could do nothing but lament my horrible technical skills. And my poor judgment.

.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.

More reviews!

Anthropomorphizer: Thank you. ^.^

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Gilluin: Eep! *hides* I hope I can live up to your expectations! ^.~

Mistress of Dragons: Ooh, right. I knew that. Really. ^.^' *goes back and covers mistake*

AN: Well, now you know. And I say *meh* to all of you who thought that Hiro was a controller. And I will continue to say *meh* to you if you don't review!


	10. Part 10 Taro

Disclaimer: No. You suck at life.

^^^^^^^^

**__**

Taro

Hiro told his story in a very matter-of-fact manner. This is what happened, when it happened.

It horrified me. The tale he was telling was too gruesome to be real. But the way he was telling it told me he was telling the truth. He _had_ to be telling the truth.

Well. That explained why he rarely spoke. I certainly wouldn't be talkative after an experience like that.

Keichii was looking confused. Very confused. I almost felt sorry for him. His best friend had never told him about the biggest trauma of his life.

But then, if Keichii was _my_ best friend, I wouldn't tell him either. He's not the type you tell this kind of thing. Of course, I wouldn't tell him anything. Since he moved next door six months ago, Keichii has tried his hardest to make my life miserable.

"So. That's why you live alone?"

Speak of the devil.

Hiro nodded. "Yes. But I'm getting ahead of myself."

"Jass never let me forget that day, even if I had tried. He insisted that my parents had taken the cowardly way out. But I knew better. I knew that they had beaten the system. I knew that they were free. And that's what kept me going. Jass didn't understand. He couldn't. He may have been able to read my thoughts, but he wasn't steeped in years of Japanese culture."

"My sister and I were transferred to a 'foster home' so that the government wouldn't ask questions. The parents were both Controllers."

"Around that time, several of the Yeerks had discovered that a simple Western breakfast food provided nutrients similar to Kandrona rays. This allowed Yeerks to go longer without visiting the pool. Unfortunately for them, it also proved to be addictive and harmful."

"Sixsa, the Yeerk in my sister Memi's head, got herself addicted. Before the chemical took her over completely, she managed to hook Jass."

"A few weeks after Jass first tried the stuff, the Yeerk leaders discovered the addictions. By this time, several Yeerks had gone almost completely crazy. Sixsa was one of these. But she was able to keep control, because my sister had been a voluntary host. They worked together to keep from attracting attention, Sixsa giving Memi some freedom and Memi taking over when Sixsa was too high to drive. It was amazing. Jass thought so, too. He hadn't realized a Yeerk and a human could work together."

"But soon, Sixsa's highs became so violent that they began breaking through Memi's control. Memi would start spouting nonsense in alien languages in public. Immediately, the Yeerk officials found out and took her away."

"At the next Sharing meeting, they forced her to eat the chemical until she was higher than a kite. Then they brought her onto the stage to show the rest of us what happens when a Yeerk gets addicted."

"And then they killed them. Both of them, Memi and Sixsa. Jass was, unfortunately, a bit high at the time. He and Sixsa had been very close – poolmates, I think. The experience drove him over the edge, and he lost control."

"I took over as soon as I felt him slipping. I excused myself to go to the bathroom and ran. I was almost all the way home before Jass came back to his senses and took me over, but that didn't matter. He actually thanked me for covering him. And from then on, we were partners. He knew he had to get away from the Yeerk government, and I knew that I was attached to him in their data banks. We were in it together. If he died, I died."

"He ran home and packed up some clothes, some money, and all of his stash of the drug. We were on a plane out of the country before sunset. Jass had searched through my memory for the place that I had the fondest memories of, and came up with Kyoto. That's where we were headed."

"We lived in Kyoto together for about a month, in a teeny apartment run by a little old lady too wise to ask questions. We mimicked Sixsa and Memi's relationship, switching off control. Jass was miles from a Kandrona, so he lived off the drug. But soon he began to run out."

"We looked everywhere, but Japanese stores simply didn't sell it. It was an unheard of thing here. And slowly, Jass began to starve."

"I rationed the drug for him, but it was useless. He was doomed. In the end, he starved to death in my head."

Hiro closed his eyes, and finally was silent. It wasn't until right then when I realized I had tears in my eyes. So did Sakura.

Keichii put his hand on Hiro's shoulder. Hiro opened his eyes and looked at him for a long moment. Then he nodded, as if acknowledging something. Something told me that something big had just passed between the two of them, and for the first time I realized how close they must be, having no one but each other. Hiro's family was dead, and Keichii's mom was never home. On impulse, I reached out and grabbed my sister's hand.

Ranara reached down and placed her hand on Hiro's cheek in a surprisingly gentle motion.

I am sorry for your loss, and your experience. I hope you won't hold my earlier actions against me?

Mikan made a sound that may have been a snort. Ranara is impulsive. Don't mind her.

Hiro smiled a little. "Don't worry, Rana-san. I saw enough of Yeerk society to understand your wariness."

Well. That was Mikan. We know who you are, Hiro. Now, who are you?

Keichii looked up, surprised. "Oh. I'm Keichii. I live next door."

Awkward silence. After a moment, Ranara shifted her weight.

We need to get out of sight. My friends, I must ask your permission for something.

Ranara! You're not going to – 

Do you have a better idea?

It's not right.

It is if they give their permission.

That's not what I meant, and you know it.

Ranara ignored him. I must admit, I was curious.

"Rana? What do you need?"

She looked at me. Andalites have developed a technology which allows us to change our forms. I was thinking of becoming human and attempting to pass as one of you.

"You can do that?" Sakura breathed. 

Yes. I simply need your permission to use your DNA.

"All of us?" Keichii asked. Mikan was the one to answer.

We can do it with just one person, but then we would _become_ you. Two of you may get confusing. If we use more than one, we can compile a complete DNA strand from several different sources and create a new being.

We all looked at each other. 

"Well, it would be better than having two aliens in our yard." Sakura said with a grin. "Sure. You can use my gene pool."

"And mine," Hiro said. He didn't say any more, but he didn't have to. I nodded my own consent.

"Keichii?" Sakura asked.

He didn't look up.

You don't have to. Rana said gently. I understand.

"No." Keichii said, finally focusing on the group. "No, it's all right. You should have some good genes to pick from."

It was a joke, and Sakura popped him in the shoulder for his efforts. But something told me Keichii wasn't really happy with the situation.

Thank you. Rana said. She laid her hand on my head. I felt my breathing slow, and my brain drifted off into a dream world as if I had just fallen asleep. Then, all at once, I was back.

"That felt _good_." I said, surprised. "Like power-meditation. Restful." 

Rana did the same to the rest of our group, then Mikan repeated the process. When they were done, Sakura held up a hand to halt them from going further.

"Wait a sec. When you change, are you going to be wearing clothes?"

Clothes? Mikan asked, confused. Rana raised her eyes to the sky.

Yes, Mikan, clothes. Humans wear them. So do many other furless races in the galaxy. Didn't you _ever_ pay attention in class? She brought her gaze back to Sakura. I will be morphing into a female human, about your size. Could you help me? I may as well begin learning immediately, since it is likely I will be here for a long period.

Sakura nodded, standing. "Sure. Come with me."

She lead Rana into the house, talking animatedly about fashion. Keichii rolled his eyes.

"Girls. How about you, Mikan?"

I would assume that Taro would help me, as this is his residence. I grimaced.

"Only if you're going to be my size. How big are you going to be?"

I based my stature and weight on Hiro's DNA. Is the difference too much?

I looked over at Hiro. He was enormous for a Japanese, over six feet tall, and way more muscular than I was, or even than Keichii was. There was no way, and obviously, Keichii saw that as well.

"Hiro, why don't you take him over to my place and lend him some of the spare clothing you keep in my room?"

Hiro nodded and stood, beckoning for Mikan to follow. When they were gone, I glanced over at Keichii.

He was being quiet. Too quiet. Keichii usually more than made up for Hiro's disinclination to speech.

"You didn't go with them." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

"Yeah. What of it?"

"Well, it's your house."

"Ah, Hiro practically lives there anyway. He doesn't need me."

Silence. I cleared my throat, looking for something innocent to talk about, but everything seemed superficial in the face of what had passed in the last few hours since the Andalite ship had landed. Apparently, Keichii was thinking the same thing.

"We're in over our heads, aren't we? I mean..."

"I know what you mean."

More silence. I felt him looking at me, but I couldn't bring myself to meet his gaze. So many negative feelings attached to him, but things were changing.

"Taro?" I looked up reflexively, and he caught my eyes and held them. Damn, those red contacts were creepy. I couldn't look away.

"Look. I know I haven't always been the nicest person. But I think we should try and not ... well, try to start over again." He stuck his hand out. "Okay?"

I paused, then took his hand and gripped it. "Agreed."

And that was the first time I saw Keichii smile.

_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_

Yay for reviews! They make the world go 'round!

JulyFlame: Yay for MS Word. ^.^ In the Andalite Chronicles, they mention that all Andalites have a translator implanted in their heads. I'm assuming that that's how Ax learned English, and now Japanese.

Tabatha: See, the rest of the story. Thank you.

qwerty: The food is instant maple and ginger oatmeal, in case you didn't pick that up. No, seriously, they found out in "The Underground" that it causes the Yeerks to go insane. p.s, thank you, that's quite a complement.

Gilluin: ack! I'm working on it! *meh* And yeah, updates will be faster now that I'm back into this story. See, I work in phases – every so often I'll suddenly become obsessed with something, then an indeterminate amount of time later I'll drop it for something else. An Animorphs phase generally lasts a month and then leaves for three or more months, then comes back. Enjoy it while it lasts.

AN: I hope none of you are against slash, 'cause, well, after this chapter I think Keichii may have a crush on Taro. It would explain a lot. (And I swear, he did it all by himself! Crazy little nihonjin.) But I'll change the summary to include a warning if I decide to introduce a relationship like that.


	11. Part 11 Cassie

Disclaimer: I am taking the characters and plotlines of the great KA Applegate for my own uses. But I'm not getting paid. So no one can do anything about it. *meh*

AN: This chapter took FOREVER, even though it's short. I just couldn't get it started. I had some serious writer's block. So if it sucks, I'm sorry. I'm running out of ideas rapidly, and I don't really know where this is going...

(@)(@)(@)(@)(@)(@)(@)

Part 11

**__**

Cassie

Two minutes to destination.

We all looked up. Then we looked at each other. Then, as one unit, we all moved towards the viewport. I was thankful that this Bug was twice as big as the others we had encountered, or we would never have fit. Hooray for officers pulling strings to save their own asses.

Toshida said something in Japanese. He sounded confused.

"He says that this isn't the right neighborhood." Erik translated.

"What?" Marco asked, his tone just barely calm. Toshida answered, and Erik translated.

"This is about a mile from his office building."

"Is it possible that the coordinates were off for a reason?" Jake asked. Erik frowned.

"I suppose it's possible, but I can't see why. The shield would have cloaked us no matter where we landed. Why would the Yeerks have wanted a mile's worth of walking? Besides, we weren't informed of a change."

We have company.

I looked at the viewport in alarm. Sure enough, another Bug fighter was off to the side of us.

Enemy Bug preparing to fire. Ax said tersely, his eyes locked on the readouts.

"What?! On their own ship?"

That's when it hit me.

"No! They know we're the Andalites because we tried to land in the wrong place. They must have programmed the computers to go the wrong way in case we took the ship! And they sent two ships, so one would get through!"

Everyone stared at me for one whole second.

"Cassie, you're amazing." Jake said. I blushed. Hard. But before I could respond, Jake had dropped into Fearless Leader mode.

"Ax, out fly them as best you can. Tobias, you take the weapons for now. Erik, you and the other Chee protect Toshida. Everyone else, battle morphs. Marco, you take over for Tobias as soon as you're done morphing." Before he had finished, he was already becoming a tiger. I went to wolf, and the others went to their favored morphs. Erik, Matt, and André, the three Chee, surrounded Toshida in a back corner.

Toshida-san, can you tell me how to get to the right place? It might be possible to fool them.

I could _feel_ Jake smacking himself.

Oh. Yes. If you can do this without a fight, that'd be great. he said ruefully. I rubbed his shoulder with my wolf ears, reassuring him. He leaned into me. Marco started making kissy noises with his gorilla lips.

Oh, shut it, Marco. Rachel said in annoyance. Just get to your station.

You haven't seen anything until you've seen a gorilla flicking off a bear.

Under Toshida's guidance, we landed on the office building. The other ship had stayed behind us, watching. Suspicious.

We're going to have to get rid of the other crew. Tobias said quietly. They're going to be watching us. I think he was keeping his speech from the Chee. They might be forced to stop us if they knew.

Yeah, you're right.. Jake sighed. Ok. We wait until they come out, then we gun them down. Marco, you know what you're doing?

I'll manage. It's no different than before.

Good.

The other crew was apparently not too bright. A human and two Hork-Bajir came out of their ship and walked towards us.

Weapons powered up. Marco reported.

Do it. Jake said. Three blinding flashes of light later, the three living beings were gone. 

That was easy. Marco said.

Don't say that! Rachel warned. Sure enough, the other fighter began to turn towards us.

They're preparing to fire! Ax exclaimed.

Marco! Jake yelled. He didn't have to ask twice.

__

TSEW. TSEW. TSEW. Three shots – one to each engine, one to the cockpit. The Bug fighter became a smoking hulk.

They might still be alive. Jake said. We need to go over there and make sure they don't -- 

He was cut off by the massive explosion that rocked the ship. We all flew backward, into each other. Various exclamations and expletives ensued as we untangled ourselves.

When that was done, we fell silent.

This is not good. Tobias said.

Marco, what did I tell you? You jynxed us! Rachel exclaimed.

Hey, I just saved your life!

Cut it out. Come on, we haven't got much time before we have the whole Yeerk Empire on our asses. And we've got to find that Andalite ship.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Reviews!

Gil: Thank you! ^.^ This one took a bit longer, as you can see. And of course I want your opinion – why do you think I mentioned it?

Tabatha: ^.^ Why, thank you.

Hell-Flame-Narf: Short chapters? What about short reviews? ^.~ I'm glad you're enjoying it.

qwerty: You'll just have to find out! And no, I don't know what happened to James. I never actually read the last book. This story takes place somewhere around the 30-40 range in the series.

Mistress of Dragons: The only one who responded favorably to the slash thing! OH! And, I read "The Cover". I'll leave you a review as soon as my stupid compy stops being stupid.

Dark Ice Dragon: *evil laugh* Oh, the things I have planned...

JulyFlame: Stiff? Ooh, ma bad. I hate stiff writing. *blech*

StargateFan14: Longer review, plz. ^.~

Baranth: *funny look* Dragons? No, actually, I wasn't planning on having the Animorphs acquire dragons. Where in heaven's name did you get that idea?

Baranth (again): *snerk* You know, I have been wondering about Andelite sex myself. Marco-Ax I like, but not in this fic, it won't fit. But Marco-Erik? I would say it would work, except it CAN'T. The whole android thing kinda gets in the way.

:((( : I'm sorry you feel that way about slash. I'm also sorry you didn't honor me with your name. Did you think I would send you angry e-mail? I promise, I respect your opinion. And thank you for the complement – I think it's the biggest one I've ever gotten. If you still are reading this, would you become a regular reviewer? I like to hear what my readers think.

J-MaC-29: erm...you reviewed at the first chapter. Why, may I ask? Did you ever read the rest?

+++++++++++++++++++

Holy jeez – look at all the reviews! Waiiiiii!!!! *does happy 'people like me' dance*

And since most people have expressed a dislike of the slash thing – well, let's just say that it won't ever become explicit. Don't get me wrong – I love slash – but I know that it's easy to go overboard. (That, and I've never actually written a slash relationship before.) The rating will stay at PG, unless I raise it for violence. In fact, nothing may ever happen – but please don't blame me if there's tension. My characters have a tendency to get away from me.

Oh! And also, I'd like to thank you all for ignoring the horrible, flaming inconsistencies that plague this poor fic. Someday I'll go back and fix them, but for now, please continue to suspend your disbelief? I really appreciate it. ^.^'


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